Bracing changes for a guitar designed for Nashville tuning

[Jeremy Elliott]

So, a client has requested that I build her a guitar built specifically for Nashville tuning--basically stringing up a 6 string with just the high strings from a 12 string set. It's an L1 shape, and I typically brace those with a kinda forward shifted x brace, 1 set of finger braces, a PMT brace when necessary, and A braces running into the neck block. How would you lighten the bracing to better accomodate the lighter pull of the Nashville tuning? Heavy scalloping? I should note that this is a cedar topped guitar, also.

[Ron Belanger]

I am glad you brought this up because I've been wondering the same thing. I was recently in Nasville and played a Martin Jimmy Buffett model OM strung with high strings and loved it.
So I just went to the D'Addario site and compared the string tension. With a high set of .012, .016, .010, .015, .022, .030 the tension is 167.3 lbs. And for a set of D'Addario lights the tension is 163.2 lbs. So I figure I'd brace it as I would for a guitar with light guage strings.

[Clay Schaeffer]

Hi Jeremy,
I wouldn't make any changes to the bracing scheme. The typical bracing for an L1 finger style should be fine for Nashville tuning. Nashville stringing will only be only be a few pounds different than a regular set, and depending on the strings used may actually come out the same. Most string sets are designed to have the tension of individual strings within a couple of pounds of each other. You will have a greater tension change going from light gage strings to mediums, than you will changing from standard to Nashville stringing.

[Mark Swanson]

I agree for all the same reasons, and one more- if the guitar lives for a while, somewhere someone along the line will string it with regular strings anyway.

[Jeremy Elliott]

Yep, Mark. That'd been a concern. I was thinking of making some sort of label with a dire warning on it, but it seems like that won't be necessary. Thanks, all, for the help.

[Alan Carruth]

One of my customers has gone from 'regular' to 'Nashville' tuning more times than I can count on one of my OMs. It works fine for both, and neither seems to bother it particularly. Nor do any of the other weird tunings he uses! On the one hand, building 'as lightly as possible' has it's advantages, but few of us really do that. If we did there would be a lot more exploded or collapsed guitars out there. Most guitars have enough leeway to accommodate a fair amount of variation in tension.

Alan Carruth / Luthier